BOCA RATON, Fla. – (Feb. 21, 2020) – The 18th-ranked Florida Atlantic University beach volleyball team opened its season with a sweep of Mercer, before falling to No. 10 FIU 3-2 at the UNF Beach Invite on Friday. Two FAU pairs went 2-0 on the day.
Match 1 vs. Mercer
Jillenne Cangelosi and Sam Gott had an impressive straight set win (21-10, 21-13) on court five to give the Owls a quick 1-0 lead. Megan McGrath and Maylin Bouffard soon followed up with a sweep of their own at no. 4 to put FAU up 2-0. Juniors Erica Brok and Mackenzie Morris clinched the match with a 21-9, 21-8 victory at no. 1. The win was the pair’s 45th as a team, extending their school record. Savannah Pesante and Ellie Austin swept court two 21-11, 21-16, making the score 4-0. Courtney Moon and Kaila Dorish lost the first set at no. 3, but took the second 21-16, then prevailed 16-14 in a thrilling third set to complete the sweep for the Owls. On the exhibition court, Bailey Myott and Lily Richman swept the pair from Mercer.
#18 Florida Atlantic 5, Mercer 0
1. Erica Brok/Mackenzie Morris (FAU) def. Amber Gibson/Emilee Wissmach (MER) 21-9, 21-8
2. Savannah Pesante/Ellie Austin (FAU) def. Ellie Merchant/Olivia Boeve (MER) 21-11, 21-16
3. Courtney Moon/Kaila Dorish (FAU) def. Gracie Garanich/Kacy Ogden (MER) 15-21, 21-16, 16-14
4. Megan McGrath/Maylin Bouffard (FAU) def. Kylie Keeling/Maddie Nunley (MER) 24-22, 21-17
5. Jillenne Cangelosi/Sam Gott (FAU) def. Abigail Moss/Jenna Drummond (MER) 21-10, 21-13
Ext. Bailey Myott/Lily Richman (FAU) def. Emily Leonard/Elena Sanfrey (MER) 21-11, 21-12
Match 2 vs. No. 10 FIU
McGrath and Bouffard were swept on court four, allowing the Panthers to take a 1-0 lead. Gott and Cangelosi evened the score with a 21-19, 21-14 victory at no. 5. Pesante and Austin gave the Owls a 2-1 lead with a 21-17, 21-17 sweep on court two. FIU tied things up, as Morris and Brok were nipped at no. 1, 21-19, 21-18. That brought the entire match down to court three. The Panthers’ duo held off Moon and Dorish to take the match.
#10 FIU 3, #18 Florida Atlantic 2
1. Federica Frasca/Margherita Bianchin (FIU) def. Mackenzie Morris/Erica Brok (FAU) 21-19, 21-18
2. Savannah Pesante/Ellie Austin (FAU) def. Ali Denney/Emma Ertelova (FIU) 21-17, 21-17
3. Lina Bernier/Gina Lipscomb (FIU) def. Courtney Moon/Kaila Dorish (FAU) 21-17, 21-13
4. Sophia Brandstetter/Nina Petranovic (FIU) def. Megan McGrath/Maylin Bouffard (FAU) 22-20, 21-18
5. Jillenne Cangelosi/Sam Gott (FAU) def. Abigail Moss/Jenna Drummond (FIU) 21-10, 21-13
Quotable
FAU Head Coach Capri Grotowski
“We saw a lot of really good things happen today. There were some big swings, tough serves and really nice vision. There is still a thing or two we can improve on and that will be our focus moving forward.”
UP NEXT
The Owls will face no. 17 Georgia State and UNF on Saturday at noon and 1:30 p.m., respectively. Links to live stats for both matches will be available at fausports.com.
SOCIAL MEDIA
For complete coverage of FAU beach volleyball, follow us on Twitter (@FAUBEACHTeam) and Instagram (@FAUbeachvb)
– FAU –
Florida Atlantic University Athletics:
FAU Athletics is comprised of 21 intercollegiate teams involving 450 student-athletes that compete in baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, soccer, softball, swimming and diving, tennis, indoor and outdoor track, volleyball, beach volleyball, cheer and dance. The Owls are a NCAA Division I-A (FBS) institution and compete in Conference USA and the Coastal Collegiate Sports Association (CCSA) (beach volleyball, men’s swimming). The Owls have been playing football since 2001 and are a perfect 4-0 in bowl games, the most recent being a 52-28 victory over SMU in the 2019 Cheribundi Boca Raton Bowl. The dance team finished its 2014 season No. 8, nationally. FAU cheer won a national championship in 2016.
About Florida Atlantic University:
Florida Atlantic University, established in 1961, officially opened its doors in 1964 as the fifth public university in Florida. Today, the University, with an annual economic impact of $6.3 billion, serves more than 30,000 undergraduate and graduate students at sites throughout its six county service region in southeast Florida. FAU’s world-class teaching and research faculty serves students through 10 colleges: the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, the College of Business, the College for Design and Social Inquiry, the College of Education, the College of Engineering and Computer Science, the Graduate College, the Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College, the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, the Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing and the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science. FAU is ranked as a High Research Activity institution by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The University is placing special focus on the rapid development of critical areas that form the basis of its strategic plan: Healthy aging, biotech, coastal and marine issues, neuroscience, regenerative medicine, informatics, lifespan and the environment. These areas provide opportunities for faculty and students to build upon FAU’s existing strengths in research and scholarship. For more information, visitwww.fau.edu.
